‘Yellowstone’ finally resumes production — as Kevin Costner’s new movie gets slammed by critics

At long last, they’re saddling up. 

On Monday, Paramount Network announced that “Yellowstone” has started production in Montana, and the episodes are slated to come out in November — just as star Kevin Costner’s new movie, “Horizon,” is getting slammed by critics, with a rating of 27% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Variety slammed Costner’s film as “meandering” and says it “seldom seems to aim in a clear direction,” while IndieWire writes, “These aren’t characters so much as the spokes of a plot in human form, each of their storylines moving as if being pulled by horses across the entire span of the American West.”

Costner left “Yellowstone” to work on this passion project of a film, with rumors flying in his wake. “Horizon” debuted at Cannes Film Festival over the weekend and hits theaters June 28.

For “Yellowstone,” this will be the second half of Season 5 and includes the series finale. Production had a long hiatus, filled with behind-the-scenes drama and feud allegations that star Costner is finally breaking his silence about.

Created by Taylor Sheridan, “Yellowstone” follows wealthy and powerful rancher John Dutton (Costner) and his adult children: Kayce (Luke Grimes), Jamie (Wes Bentley) and Beth (Kelly Reilly), plus his son-in-law and Beth’s husband, Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser). 

The show has been off the air for a year and a half, as the first part of the fifth and final season premiered in November 2022. 

The news of “Yellowstone” resuming production came out on the same day as a new Costner interview with GQ, in which he aired grievances with the show.

Costner told the outlet that his issues with “Yellowstone” boiled down to the fact that he wanted to work and had felt “stymied.”

 “We very rarely started when we said we would and we didn’t finish when we said we would,” he said about the show’s filming schedule.

“And I was OK with that. I really was. I was OK with it, but it wasn’t a trend that could continue for me.” He felt like he was missing out on other opportunities to work and said he couldn’t set a schedule for his epic Western film “Horizon,” which he stars in, directed and co-wrote. 

Costner said that he was so committed to “Yellowstone” that he renegotiated from his original three-season deal for as many as seven seasons. But, amid COVID, the writers strike and various other reasons for production delays, he said he was spending time waiting.  

After “Yellowstone” floated the idea of splitting the fifth season of the show into two parts, a Season 5A and 5B, “their big plan was to suddenly do eight now and then in the fall do eight more,” Costner said. 

“I said, ‘I have a contract to do “Horizon” and I have people and money.’ I think there was a belief that I couldn’t get it mounted, but I didn’t really care what anybody believed.”

The “Dances With Wolves” star and director said he was still willing to work with “Yellowstone” to find solutions, but “the scripts never came. They still haven’t shot it. As far as I know. The scripts never came. And so then at one point they said to me that we don’t have an ending or anything.” 

Costner said that he suggested killing his character.

“’If you want to do something like that,’ I said, ‘I have a week before I start. I’ll do what you want to do,’” he told GQ, while the outlet noted that a spokesperson for Paramount refuted Costner’s account. 

According to Costner, after negotiations, he was willing to help “Yellowstone” end his character arc.  

“And somebody picked up the idea that I only wanted to work one week. And that has been a carryover thing that I have seen in magazines: that I’ve only wanted to work one week.” 

Costner was referring to how, in May 2023, news broke that Costner would not return to “Yellowstone” after Season 5. That same month, it was announced that the show would end with Season 5, leading to speculation that the show was ending in part because Costner was leaving.

There were also reports that Costner refused to be on set filming for more than one week for the second half of Season 5, which Costner’s attorney denied.

Costner has now also denied that, to GQ and to Deadline last week. 

A Paramount Network spokesperson told GQ, “Kevin has been a big part of ‘Yellowstone’s’ success. While we had hoped that we would continue working with him, unfortunately, we could not find a window that worked for him, all the other talent, and our production needs in order to move forward together. We respect that Kevin has prioritized his new film series and we wish him the best.” 

Last week, Costner told Deadline, “I have taken a beating from those f – – king guys,” referring to the “Yellowstone” producers.” 

“I didn’t have to answer the slings and arrows over the last year and a half, because I’ve just been busy working. They’ve been pretty slick about keeping their hands off; nobody was ever on the record.”

The “Field of Dreams” star said that “Yellowstone” had “first position” in his list of priorities. “I didn’t do ‘Horizon’ because I was tired of doing ‘Yellowstone.’ That’s a bulls–t story. I didn’t do ‘Horizon’ to compete with ‘Yellowstone.’ This [project] is something I’ve had a long time,” he said. 

The “Waterworld” star said he hasn’t “felt good about it the last year,” and added that ongoing speculation about what was happening “wasn’t truthful.” 

The actor told the outlet, “I was straight up with [Sheridan], and he said what we would do, and I believed him and we didn’t get there.”

So, it seems that Costner will not be involved with the final stretch of “Yellowstone” episodes that are now filming. 

But he told Deadline that despite the bad blood, he’s not against the idea of returning. 

“If the writing’s there and I’m happy with it, I’m open to that. But I took a beating over these guys not speaking up for me and allowing crazy stories to come out,” he said. 

“I’m not happy about that. But if the writing is there, I will be there too. It’s just that simple: Paramount and 101 Studios mismanaged this.”